Patent Grant
8087735
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to free standing wall/furniture assemblies and more specifically to a kit of pre-manufactured furniture and wall parts that can be assembled to configure a large number of different and versatile furniture and wall configurations.
Hospitals and other health care facilities where patient appointments are conducted or that include patient rooms usually have a preference for built in/wall mounted furniture for several reasons. First, it is generally recognized that built in/wall mounted furniture often requires less space than free standing furniture to facilitate the same functions. For example, built in furniture often enables vertical stacking of storage and work surfaces in ways that are not common with free standing furniture. For instance, with built in furniture, storage cabinets are often hung above and spaced from a work surface on a wall so that at least a portion of the space above the work surface can be used for storage thereby alleviating the need for some other space to be used for the same purpose. Because hospitals are always searching for ways to most effectively use space in patient rooms, exam rooms, consultation rooms, physician offices, etc., built in/wall mounted furniture is a natural choice.
Second, built in/wall mounted furniture can be configured in ways that are generally more sanitary than free standing furniture. In this regard, free standing furniture is often arranged or configured so that tight and difficult to access spaces are formed in which liquids and dirt can accumulate and in which germs can prosper. These tight and difficult to access spaces are typically hard to clean. Hard to clean spaces are not acceptable in medical facilities. In contrast, built in/wall hung furniture can be configured so that hard to clean spaces are essentially nonexistent or at least substantially minimized.
Third, built in/wall mounted furniture can, in at least some cases, be less expensive than free standing furniture, because built in furniture often has less finished surface area than free standing furniture. For example, while a free standing desk will often include four completely finished side surfaces, a built in desk includes at most three finished sides and, in some cases, may only include a front finished side.
While built in/wall mounted furniture systems have several advantages that make them particularly suitable for use in medical facilities, known built in/wall mounted furniture systems also have several short comings. First, built in/wall mounted furniture often has to be custom constructed for specific applications and in most cases has to be installed by highly trained carpenters or the like that are skilled at compensating for peculiar characteristics of specific spaces in which the furniture is to be installed. Skilled installers increases the costs associated with built in/wall mounted furniture systems.
Second, built in/wall mounted systems often require mounting or securing of furniture components to permanent space dividing walls for support. Mounting to permanent walls is labor intensive, requires several skills and defaces the walls. In addition, mounting to permanent walls has been known to damage items behind the walls such as power and data cables and, in the case of a medical facility, gas and liquid piping, which can be expensive to repair.
Third, because built in/wall mounted furniture is often customized for specific spaces, it is hard to remove and reuse this type of furniture in other spaces or applications. For these reasons, in many cases, built in/wall mounted furniture is scrapped after a first use and new furniture is used when a new layout is desired. Scrapping components is costly and wasteful.
One solution that has worked well in the office furniture industry for achieving a look and feel similar to built in/wall mounted furniture has been to use free standing wall/furniture systems instead of the built-ins. For example, wall structures akin to partition wall structures have been designed for use against or immediately adjacent permanent walls. Here, bottom storage assemblies (i.e. cabinets, drawer assemblies, etc.) are placed against front faces of the walls, top work surfaces are added to the bottom storage assemblies and top storage assemblies are mounted to top portions of the front faces of the walls. These freestanding wall/furniture systems typically include highly engineered connecting solutions so that system assembly, disassembly and reconfiguration are very easy. In addition, as the label implies, these “freestanding” systems do not require connection to permanent wall structure and therefore do not deface permanent walls or cause any damage to components (i.e., cables, pipes, etc.) there behind.
While freestanding wall/furniture systems work well in offices, known freestanding wall/furniture systems are not suitable for many medical facility environments for several reasons. First, while the connection mechanisms for these assemblies facilitate quick component connection/disconnection, the connection mechanisms often include spaces, slots, openings and other small recesses that are difficult to keep clean and where germs and liquids can accumulate and therefore these systems are relatively unsanitary.
Second, because the connection mechanisms and the components that they connect to are highly engineered for their specific purposes, these components and mechanisms are relatively expensive and therefore increase overall system costs appreciably which renders these systems too expensive for many applications.
Third, while cabinets, drawer assemblies, shelving units, etc., have been modularized, other furniture components used with free standing furniture systems are far more difficult to modularize. For instance, work surfaces have been difficult to modularize. To this end, work surface users typically like a completely flat and single plane surface with very tight seams. Despite highly accurate manufacturing processes that can be used to manufacture storage units that have essentially identical dimensions, when those units are places one next to the other in a patient room or the like, nuances in the supporting floor often result in misaligned or at least extremely difficult to align top surfaces. For this reason it has been standard practice to provide single piece work surface forming top members that span over multiple modular storage units or to provide top surface members that can be pieced together on sight using mechanical fasteners to provide the work surfaces. Where single piece top members have been used, design is constrained by the number of different types of top surfaces supplied (e.g., while several top surfaces may be provided for two or three storage unit configurations, in most cases no single top surface will be provided for ten unit configurations). Where multiple top members are fastened together on sight, assembly costs increase appreciably.
One additional problem with wall surfaces in medical facilities is that the wall structures often are defaced when various devices including dispensers, device and medical item holders, containers, etc., are mounted thereto and then removed so that other dispensers, holders and containers can be mounted in their stead. In the medical industry, replacement of dispensers and other devices and containers is routine as new products come to market and facilities change suppliers routinely. Often new mounting holes have to be drilled in the walls when new dispensers, holders and containers are mounted. Over time the walls where items are mounted begin to look shabby as holes from previously mounted dispensers, devices and containers are exposed.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have a furniture system that can provide the look and feel of built in/wall mounted furniture that is versatile, relatively sanitary, relatively inexpensive and easy to install. In addition, it would be advantageous to have a system that has the aforementioned characteristics where the system components can be relatively easily decoupled and reconfigured. Moreover it would be advantageous to have a mounting structure for dispensers and other items that can be replaced periodically so that old and unused mounting holes are not visible thereon.
It has been recognized that a huge number of different elegant and relatively sanitary furniture assemblies can be designed and assembled relatively inexpensively by providing a kit of wall subassemblies and different types of furniture units where multiple furniture unit types can be included with any one of the wall subassemblies and where the wall subassemblies can be secured together using standard off the shelf connectors. In at least some embodiments the standard connectors include bolts or screws. Here, the seems between adjacent wall subassemblies can be made extremely narrow to substantially eliminate spaces in which debris can collect and in which germs can accumulate.
An exemplary wall subassembly according to at least some inventive embodiments includes a base, a back wall subassembly mounted to and extending up from the base and a canopy mounted at the top end of the back wall subassembly. When securing two wall subassemblies together, in at least some embodiments the back wall subassemblies and the canopies are aligned and secured together while the bases are not. Here, the bases remain uncoupled so that each of the bases can be independently height adjusted and leveled. Furniture units are supported by the bases in receiving spaces and therefore, when the bases are leveled, the top surfaces of the furniture units are also leveled. Thus, where top edge surfaces of the bases on which the furniture units are to be supported are level and coplanar, where the furniture units have identical height dimensions, the tops of the furniture units are also coplanar and should be level. In at least some embodiments each furniture unit includes a work surface forming top member and, when the furniture units are installed, adjacent top members are coplanar and the seem there between is extremely narrow.
The invention also includes, according to another aspect, several methods of assembling furniture configurations using a kit of furniture parts. In general the methods include assembling wall subassemblies at an intermediate or assembly location and securing the wall subassemblies together to form an intermediate wall subassembly, moving the intermediate wall subassembly into a final use position, leveling the bases of each of the wall subassemblies in the intermediate subassembly and then installing furniture units within the wall subassembly receiving spaces.
At least some inventive embodiments include a free standing furniture apparatus comprising a furniture unit having a unit height dimension, a base including a base wall having a base height dimension and first and second separated base wall ends, the base wall at least in part circumscribing a base space where the base wall includes a top edge surface that resides substantially in a single edge plane and a back wall member supported by the base wall proximate the first and second ends of the base wall member and extending substantially vertically upward from the base wall member and substantially perpendicular to the single edge plane so that there is a receiving space that is unobstructed by the back wall member and that is above the base space for receiving the furniture unit, the back wall member having a back wall height dimension that is greater than the unit height dimension so that at least a portion of the back wall member is observable above the furniture unit when the furniture unit is received within the receiving space, wherein the furniture unit is receivable on the top edge surface of the base wall within the receiving space.
In some cases the base wall includes at least first, second and third substantially flat and planar base wall members where the first and second base wall members are parallel and spaced apart and form the first and second ends of the base wall and wherein the third base wall member extends between the ends of the first and second base wall members opposite the first and second ends of the base wall and it substantially perpendicular to each of the first and second base wall members.
In some cases the back wall member includes a substantially rectangular and planar member that includes oppositely facing front and rear surfaces where the front surface faces the receiving space. Some embodiments further includes a substantially flat planar rear base member that traverses the distance between the first and second ends of the base wall and that is substantially perpendicular to the first and second base wall members. In some cases the base wall member is mounted to the rear base member. In some cases the back wall member includes top and bottom edges and first and second lateral edges and the assembly further includes first and second connectors mounted to the rear surface of the back wall member adjacent the first and second lateral edges for connecting the apparatus to a similar apparatus. In some cases each of the first and second connector members includes an elongated planar rectangular member that extends from the rear surface of the back wall member and substantially along the entire height dimension of the back wall member so that the back wall member and the first and second connector members together form a channel adjacent the rear surface of the back wall member. In some embodiments the first and second connector members are mounted to the top edges of the first and second base wall members proximate the first and second ends of the base wall, respectively.
In some cases the assembly is for use with a similar second furniture apparatus wherein the assembly further includes fasteners for securing the first connector member to a similar connector member on the second furniture apparatus.
In some cases the base wall includes an internal surface that defines the base space and the furniture unit includes at least one cleat extending from the bottom thereof that is adjacent at least a portion of the internal surface of the base wall when the furniture unit is supported on the top edge of the base wall.
In some embodiments the back wall member include a top end opposite the base, the assembly further including a canopy supported at the top end of the back wall member that extends above the receiving space and that is spaced above the furniture unit when the unit is received in the receiving space. In some cases the canopy includes a canopy wall having a canopy height dimension and first and second separated canopy wall ends, the canopy wall at least in part circumscribing a canopy space where the canopy wall includes a bottom edge surface that resides substantially in a single bottom edge plane, the first and second ends of the canopy wall mounted to top ends of the first and second connector members, respectively.
In some cases the back wall height dimension is between sixty and 96 inches. In some cases the furniture unit height is between fifteen and 44 inches.
At least one other embodiment includes a free standing furniture apparatus for use with a furniture unit, the apparatus comprising a base including a base wall having a base height dimension and first and second separated base wall ends, the base wall at least in part circumscribing a base space where the base wall includes a top edge surface that resides substantially in a single edge plane, a back wall member supported by the base wall proximate the first and second ends of the base wall member and extending substantially vertically upward from the base wall member and substantially perpendicular to the single edge plane so that there is a receiving space that is unobstructed by the back wall member above the base space for receiving the furniture unit, the back wall member having a back wall height dimension of at least sixty inches and having top and bottom ends along top and bottom edges, respectively; and a canopy supported at the top end of the back wall member that extends above the receiving space.
In some cases the back wall member includes first and second lateral edges and oppositely facing front and rear edges and wherein the assembly further includes first and second connectors mounted to the rear surface of the back wall member adjacent the first and second lateral edges for connecting the apparatus to a similar apparatus. In some cases each of the first and second connector members includes an elongated planar rectangular member that extends from the rear surface of the back wall member and substantially along the entire height dimension of the back wall member so that the back wall member and the first and second connector members together form a channel adjacent the rear surface of the back wall member. In some cases the canopy includes a canopy wall having a canopy height dimension and first and second separated canopy wall ends, the canopy wall at least in part circumscribing a canopy space where the canopy wall includes a bottom edge surface that resides substantially in a single bottom edge plane, the first and second ends of the canopy wall mounted to top ends of the first and second connector members, respectively. In some cases the canopy height dimension is between two inches and ten inches and wherein the base height dimension is between two and ten inches.
Other embodiments include a free standing furniture apparatus for use with a furniture unit, the apparatus comprising a base wall including first, second and third substantially flat and planar base wall members and a rear base wall member wherein the third base wall member and the rear base wall member are substantially parallel and spaced apart and wherein the first and second base wall members are parallel, spaced apart and traverse the distance between ends of the third base wall and the rear base wall so as to form a rectangle that defines a base space, the base wall having a base height dimension and having a top edge that resides substantially in a single edge plane, a substantially rectangular back wall member supported by the base wall substantially above the rear base wall member and extending substantially vertically upward from the base wall member and substantially perpendicular to the single edge plane so that there is a receiving space that is unobstructed by the back wall member above the base space for receiving the furniture unit, the back wall member having top and bottom edges, first and second side edges, oppositely facing front and rear surfaces and top and bottom ends adjacent the top and bottom edges, respectively, first and second elongated, substantially flat and planar connector members mounted to and extending from the rear surface of the back wall member adjacent and along substantially the entire length of the first and second side edges of the back wall member, respectively, a canopy supported at the top end of the back wall member that extends above the receiving space, the canopy including a canopy wall including first, second and third substantially flat and planar canopy wall members wherein the first and second canopy wall members are mounted at first ends to the first and second connector members, are parallel and are spaced apart and the third canopy wall member is connected between the first and second canopy wall members at the ends of the first and second canopy wall members opposite the connector members so that the canopy wall members together circumscribe a canopy space substantially above the receiving space, the canopy wall including a bottom edge surface that resides substantially in a single bottom edge plane, the canopy further including a planar flat soffit member supported by the canopy wall adjacent the bottom edge plane.
Still other embodiments include a free standing furniture apparatus comprising a furniture unit having a unit height dimension and a rear side, a substantially rectangular back wall member having top, bottom and first and second lateral edges, oppositely facing front and rear surfaces, top and bottom ends adjacent the top and bottom edges, respectively, and a back wall height dimension between the top and bottom edges that is greater than the unit height dimension, the back wall member secured to the rear side of the furniture unit and extending substantially vertically upward from the furniture unit, first and second elongated, planar and substantially rectangular connector members mounted to and extending from the rear surface of the back wall member adjacent the first and second lateral edges, respectively, where each connector member extends substantially along the entire height dimension of the back wall member so that the back wall member and the first and second connector members together form a channel adjacent the rear surface of the back wall member and a canopy supported at the top end of the base wall member, the canopy extending above and spaced above the furniture unit.
Yet other embodiments include a method for configuring a free standing furniture assembly for use in a final position, the method comprising the steps of providing at least first and second furniture subassemblies at an assembly location, each of the first and second subassemblies including at least a base, a back wall member and a furniture unit, the base including a base wall and first and second separated base wall ends, the base wall at least in part circumscribing a base space where the base wall includes a top edge surface that resides substantially in a single edge plane, the back wall member supported by the base wall proximate the first and second ends of the base wall member, extending substantially vertically upward from the base wall member and substantially perpendicular to the single edge plane and forming a front surface, positioning the first furniture subassembly next to the second furniture subassembly in an intermediate position that is different than the final position so that the front surface of the back wall member of the first furniture subassembly is flush with the front surface of the back wall member of the second furniture subassembly and so that at least a portion of the base wall of the first furniture subassembly is adjacent at least a portion of the base wall of the second furniture subassembly, securing the back wall members of the first and second furniture subassemblies together to form an intermediate wall assembly, moving the intermediate wall assembly into the final position, leveling the base walls of the first and second furniture subassemblies so that the edge planes thereof are substantially horizontal, placing the furniture unit of the first furniture subassembly on the top edge surface of the base wall of the first furniture unit assembly and placing the furniture unit of the second furniture subassembly on the top edge surface of the base wall of the second furniture unit assembly.
Other embodiments include a furniture apparatus comprising a first furniture subassembly forming a first storage space, a substantially straight first upper track supporting surface and a substantially straight first lower track supporting surface below the first upper track supporting surface, a second furniture subassembly forming a second storage space, a substantially straight second upper track supporting surface and a substantially straight second lower track supporting surface below the second upper track supporting surface, the second furniture subassembly positioned adjacent the first furniture subassembly so that the second upper track supporting surface is aligned with the first upper track supporting surface, the second lower track supporting surface is aligned with the first lower track supporting surface and the second storage space is adjacent the first storage space, a lower track mounted to and extending along the first and second lower track supporting surfaces, an upper track mounted to and extending along the first and second upper track supporting surfaces and a door member mounted between the lower track and the upper track for movement there along between various positions adjacent the first and second storage spaces.
Still other embodiments include a furniture apparatus comprising a first furniture subassembly including a first base, a first canopy and a first intermediate structure that supports the first canopy above the first base wherein the area between the first base and the first canopy forms a first storage space, the first canopy forming a substantially straight first upper track supporting surface adjacent a front side of the first canopy, a second furniture subassembly including a second base, a second canopy and a second intermediate structure that supports the second canopy above the second base wherein the area between the second base and the second canopy forms a second storage space, the second canopy forming a substantially straight second upper track supporting surface adjacent a front side of the second canopy, the second furniture subassembly positioned adjacent the first furniture subassembly so that the second base is adjacent the first base, the second canopy is adjacent the first canopy, the second upper track supporting surface is aligned with the first upper track supporting surface and the second storage space is adjacent the first storage space, a lower track supported by the first and second bases below the first and second upper track supporting surfaces, an upper track mounted to and extending along the first and second upper track supporting surfaces and a door member mounted between the lower track and the upper track for movement there along between various positions adjacent the first and second storage spaces.
Other embodiments include a kit of parts for configuring a multitude of freestanding furniture configurations, the kit including at least a first wall subassembly including a base wall and a back wall member, the base wall having a base height dimension and first and second separated base wall ends, the base wall at least in part circumscribing a base space where the base wall includes a top edge surface that resides substantially in a single edge plane, the back wall member forming a front surface and supported by the base wall proximate the first and second ends of the base wall member and extending substantially vertically upward from the base wall member to a top end and substantially perpendicular to the single edge plane so that a receiving space above the base space and adjacent the front surface of the back wall member is unobstructed by the back wall member and a first subset of furniture units wherein each of the furniture units in the first subset is a different furniture unit type, each of the furniture units in the first subset configured to be received within the receiving space and to be supported on the top edge surface of the base wall adjacent the front surface of the back wall member, wherein, each of the furniture units in the first subset can be supported on the top surface of the base wall within the receiving space to configure a different furniture configuration.
Other embodiments include a kit of parts for configuring a multitude of freestanding furniture configurations, the kit including a plurality of first wall subassemblies, each of the first wall subassemblies including a base wall and a back wall member, each base wall having a base height dimension and first and second separated base wall ends, each base wall at least in part circumscribing a base space where the base wall includes a top edge surface that resides substantially in a single edge plane, each back wall member forming a front surface and supported by an associated base wall proximate the first and second ends of the base wall and extending substantially vertically upward from the base wall and substantially perpendicular to the single edge plane so that a receiving space above the base space and adjacent the front surface of the back wall member is unobstructed by the back wall member and a first subset of furniture units including several different furniture unit types, each of the furniture units in the first subset configured to be received within any one of the receiving spaces and to be supported on the top edge surface of one of the base walls adjacent one of the front surfaces of one of the back wall members, wherein two or more of the first wall subassemblies can be secured together with the front surfaces of the wall subassemblies substantially coplanar and wherein a separate furniture unit from the first subset can be supported on the top surface of each of the base walls within the receiving spaces to configure a furniture configuration.
Other embodiments include an assembly for mounting accessories to a front wall surface of a wall member, the assembly comprising a planar board member including substantially oppositely facing and flat front and rear surfaces, at least a first quick release fastener for releasably securing the board member to the front wall surface so that the front surface of the board member is accessible for mounting accessories, wherein the fastener facilitates release of the board member from the wall front surface so that the board member can be disposed of and replaced by a new board member after the front surface of the board member is defaced.
Some embodiments further include at least one accessory mounted to the front surface of the board member. Some embodiments further including a plurality of accessories mounted to the front surface of the board member via screws that pass into the front surface of the board member. In some cases accessories can be mounted to any location on the front surface of the board member. In some cases the board member is between one quarter and one inch thick.
Still one other embodiment includes a method for supporting accessories on a front wall surface of a wall member, the method comprising the steps of providing a first rigid planar board member including substantially oppositely facing and flat front and rear surfaces, mounting a first coupler to the front wall surface, securing the first board member to the front wall surface via the first coupler so that the rear surface of the board member is adjacent the front wall surface, forming mounting holes in the front surface of the first board member for mounting at least a first accessory and mounting at least the first accessory to the front surface of the first board member via the mounting holes.
Other embodiments include a free standing furniture apparatus comprising a base including a base wall and first and second separated base wall ends, the base wall at least in part circumscribing a base space where the base wall includes a top edge surface that resides substantially in a single edge plane, a receiving space above the base space, a canopy supported by the base above the receiving space and including a downwardly facing bottom edge surface and a furniture unit including a bottom member that has a front edge and that forms an exposed upwardly facing surface along at least a portion of the front edge, the furniture unit received in the receiving space so that the exposed upwardly facing surface resides below the downwardly facing bottom edge surface of the canopy.
One other inventive method for configuring a free standing furniture assembly for use in a final position includes the steps of providing a furniture unit, providing a first back wall member, providing a first base including a base wall and first and second separated base wall ends, the base wall at least in part circumscribing a base space where the base wall includes a top edge surface that resides substantially in a first edge plane and where a receiving space for receiving a furniture unit is located above the base space, securing the back wall member to the base wall at an intermediate assembly location to form an intermediate wall assembly, moving the intermediate wall assembly into a final position, leveling the base wall of the first base so that the first edge plane is substantially horizontal and placing the furniture unit on the top edge surface of the base wall.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects of the invention. However, these aspects are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention can be employed. Other aspects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like referenced numerals correspond to similar elements throughout the several views and, more specifically, referring to
Referring specifically to
Third base wall member 28 is an elongated, planar, rectangular and substantially flat wall member having first and second ends and forms a front kick or toe board. Hereinafter, third base wall member 28 is referred to as a toe board. The first and second base wall members 26 and 30 extend from opposite ends of toe board 28 in the same direction and perpendicular to toe board 28 and terminate at the first and second base wall ends 34 and 36, respectively, as best shown in
Referring still to
Referring again to
Referring again to
First and second connector members 57 and 55, respectively, have similar constructions and operate in a similar fashion and therefore, in the interest of simplifying this explanation, only second connection member 55 will be described here in detail. Connector member 55, as shown, is an elongated, rigid, flat and substantially planer rectilinear member that has a height dimension (not labeled) similar to height dimension H2 of back wall member 21 and a substantially reduced width dimension (not labeled) (e.g., within a range of 1 to 7 inches). Second connector member 55 forms an external surface 100 and an oppositely facing internal surface (not labeled, however, an exemplary internal surface 102 of first connector member 57 is shown in
Although not illustrated, connector member 55 has a depth dimension that is greater than the extend to which base wall extensions 34 and 36 extend from rear base wall member 32. For instance, where extensions 34 and 36 extend from rear wall member 32 four inches, connector member 55 may have a depth dimension of four and ½ to five inches. As seen in
Referring yet again to
Referring specifically to
Referring still to
Referring now to
Referring once again to
Referring also to
In a particularly advantageous embodiment, dowel 126 includes an adhesive that is activated when dowel 126 is wet. Here, dowel 126 is first wetted and is then forced into the opening formed by connector member 57. Next, pin 124 is placed into the opening associated therewith in member 57 and quarter turn locking fastener 122 is turned to lock pin 124 to member 57. Although not illustrated, the dowel and pin to be used to secure connector member 55 to end 80 are similarly installed in the top end of connector member 55 (see again
Next, with quarter turn fastener 120 installed in end 78 and a similar fastener installed in end 80 (see again
Referring again to
Referring also to
In some embodiments only the front or external faces of toe board 28 and canopy wall member 74 are finished along with surface 50 of rear wall member 21. This reduced finish embodiment is typically suitable where an assembly 10 (see again
Referring now to
Referring once again to
Referring still to
Prior to installing unit 14 in space 17, an installer uses glides 42 to level top edge surface 44. Here, base 18 should be leveled while forced downward as unit 14 will force base 18 downward after installation.
To install furniture unit 14 in receiving space 17 above the base space 40 shown in
Although not shown in detail, it should be appreciated that top storage assembly 16 shown in
Referring now to
In
Referring now to
While the embodiments described above include the first wall subassembly shown in
Referring still to
With respect to back wall subassembly 251, referring to
Second, as best seen in
Third, referring once again to
Referring still to
Referring again to
To mount unit 254 to subassembly 252, a rear end of unit 254 is moved up against the front surface 229 of member 255. Unit 254 is then centered on the wall subassembly 252 with the sides of the unit 254 flush with the external surfaces of connector members 257 and 259 and with bottom edges of members 262, 263, 251 and 265 substantially coplanar. Wood screws are inserted through stringers 265 and 264 to secure unit 254 to surface 229. Finally, glides 266 and 267 are adjusted to level assembly 252.
While the furniture assemblies described above with respect to
Assembly of configuration 300 will now be described. Referring still to
Continuing, holes are drilled through the abutting canopy members 76a and 72b and the canopies are secured together using bolts, washers and nuts. In at least some embodiments, two holes and two bolt, nut and washer combinations will suffice to secure the canopies together. Next, holes are drilled through the abutting connecting member 55a and 57b and bolt, washers and nuts are used to secure the connector member 55a and 57b together. In at least some embodiments, four holes and bolt, washer and nut combinations will suffice to secure the connector members together. Continuing, hand clamps can be removed from the abutting members.
After wall subassemblies 12a and 12b have been connected as illustrated in
Once a subassembly shown in
Referring once again to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Roller wheel 374 is mounted on an axle that extends substantially perpendicular to edge 309 for rotation about a vertical axis and is sized to be generally received within channel 352 to facilitate smooth movement of door 306. Although not illustrated, standard off the shelf roller type wheel assemblies are provided along the lower edge of door 306 that are receivable within the channel 311 formed by track 310 shown in
To install door 306, the pins, roller wheels and bolts on the top of the door and the rollers on the bottom of the door are aligned with the channels 352 and 311 formed by tracks 308 and 310, respectively, and door 306 is slid into the space between the tracks 308 and 310. Once door 306 is supported by tracks 308 and 310, referring to
Referring once again to
To assemble assembly 320, referring to
Once the
According to at least one additional inventive aspect, a replaceable mounting board assembly as contemplated that may be used with any of the wall subassemblies described above or, indeed, with any other type of permanent or semi permanent wall structure that includes a flat and exposed wall surface. Herein, in the interest of simplifying this explanation, the mounting board subassembly will be described in the context of the exemplary furniture assembly 400 shown in
Referring also to
Referring to
Referring now to
Referring once again to
A person can mount accessories and other devices to any portion of the front surface 408 of board 407 via screws or bolts. Two exemplary accessories are shown schematically at 501 and 503 where mounting holes that deface front surface 408 are shown at 505. After board 407 has been defaced over the course of time, a user can replace the board 407 by simply pulling outward on the bottom end of board 407 until the Velcro pads release and then lifting upwardly on board 407 until the brackets are disconnected. Thereafter, the user can remove the brackets 412a and 412b from the rear surface of board 407, can attach those brackets to the rear surface of a second replacement board and can attach the replacement board to surface 404 in the manner describe above.
One or more specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
Thus, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims. For example, while embodiments have been described above that include rectilinear bases (see 18 in
In addition, while the above assemblies include canopies, in at least some embodiments, canopies may be foregone in at least some assemblies or altogether.
Moreover, other connector or mounting means or mechanical structures may be provided for securing the mounting board shown in
Furthermore, in at least some embodiments, it is contemplated that a sealing base board strip formed of rubber or the like may be installed on the front surfaces of toe boards (see 28 in
In addition, although not mentioned above, referring to
Moreover, while furniture units (e.g., 14, 14a, 14b, etc.), are all shown in the figures as being a single height (with the exception of closet unit 14d), in at least some embodiments a kit of furniture parts may include furniture units that have multiple standard heights. For instance, in the case of desk unit 254 (see
In addition, top/upper furniture storage units (see 16 in
Furthermore, while the wall and canopy fasteners are described above as being bolt/nut combinations and specific types of fasteners (e.g., dowels, pin and quarter turn anchors, etc.) are described above for securing back wall subassemblies, bases and canopies, it should be appreciated that any other mechanical fasteners known in the art or even adhesive in some cases may be employed to fasten kit components.
To apprise the public of the scope of this invention, the following claims are made:
This application is related to and claims priority to provisional patent application No. 60/941,151 which was filed on May 31, 2007 and that is titled “Free Standing Furniture Kit And Method Of Assembly”.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1190170 | Hormes | Jul 1916 | A |
| 2489493 | Kuenzie | Nov 1949 | A |
| 3015466 | Levy | Jan 1962 | A |
| 3305286 | Fenwick | Feb 1967 | A |
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